Hormone allergy has been previously described in the medical literature as premenstrual asthma. Skobeloff E. M., Spivey W. H., Silverman R. A., Ekin B. A., Harchelroad F. P., Alessi T. V.: The effect of the menstrual cycle on asthma presentations in the emergency department. Arch Intern Med 1996; 156: 1837–40. Claude F.: Asthma et menstruation. Presse Med 1938; 46: 755–759; Eliasson O., Scherzer H., DeGraff A. C.: Morbidity in asthma in relation to the menstrual cycle. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1986: 77: 87–94; Chandler M. H., Schuldheisz S., Phillips B., Muse K. N.: Pre-menstrual asthma: the effect of estrogen on symptoms, pulmonary function, and beta 2-receptors. Pharmacology 1997; 17(2): 224–234.
Premenstrual asthma is a condition where premenstrual fluctuations in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone cause the exacerbation of clinical symptoms. Exacerbations of symptoms appear to occur during the premenstrual period when progesterone levels are high. Several references have been made to a possible reaction to hormones. The first report of hormonal influence on asthma symptoms appeared in a case report by Frank from 1931. Frank, R T: The hormonal causes of pre-menstrual tension. Arch Neurol Psychiatry 1931; 26: 1053–57. Severe aggravation of asthma symptoms in one patient were clearly linked to oral contraceptives. Derimov, GS, Oppenheimer J: Exacerbation of premenstrual asthma caused by an oral contraceptive. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1998; 81: 243–46.
Skobeloff et. al reported a four-fold increase in the presentation of asthmatic women to the emergency department during the perimenstrual interval (days 26 to 04 of the menstrual cycle). When Skobeloff's data is superimposed over the hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, it shows that the peak emergency room visits occurred during the premenstrual period when the progesterone is highest relative to estrogen (FIG. 1).
There has been little investigation, however, into the systemic manifestations or treatment of hormone allergy, or the effect of hormones on organ systems other than the female reproductive tract. While there is documentation in the literature supporting the influence of hormones on premenstrual asthma, applicant knows of no established mode of action.